Thursday, June 19, 2014

Another Environmental Leader in Greenwich: Lucy Man Jinishian

In the summer residents of Greenwich enjoy any
number of parks and conservancies offering a variety of leisure activities. In
addition there are beaches and water sports to enjoy. These well-preserved
outdoor spaces and clean waterways did not come without the tireless efforts of
the town’s environmental leaders.

One community leader who over the years
protected the town’s shoreline and waters is Lucy Jinishian. Her work in
establishing the Greenwich Environmental Action Group and her efforts to
reestablish shellfishing in Greenwich after years of dormancy have had lasting
impact.

There are two interviews in the Oral History Project
collection with Ms. Jinishian, both helping to tell the story of her
stewardship of the town’s environment. The first is “The Greenwich
Environmental Action Group,” conducted in 1975, and the second is “Shellfishing
in Greenwich,” conducted in 2006.

Ms. Jinishian’s environmental activism goes
back to late 1970 with a letter to HELCO (Hartford Electric Light Company, later
absorbed by Connecticut Light and Power) executives about plans to build an
800-megawatt power plant that because of large amounts of heated water flowing
back into the Sound would create a potentially tremendous threat. The plan also
included an oil-unloading platform near Tod’s Point, which, according to Ms.
Jinishian, was “not to be borne without
a struggle.”

Out of this struggle came GEAG,
the Greenwich Environmental Action Group.

She
and other volunteers spent nearly six months researching and attending meetings,
gathering reports and informing the public about the proposed plant. Approximately
five thousand fact sheets spelling out the air and water pollution effects on
Greenwich were widely distributed throughout the town.

Photo from Friends of Greenwich Point

After
repeated correspondence and meetings with company executives, plans for the
plant were finally dropped. Ms. Jinishian and the volunteers did not take full
credit for the change in plans, but they certainly played a major role in
reversing them.

The
GEAG played a significant role in many other environmental decisions in town.
They were so influential that in January of 1975 the group decided to suspend
activity. That may sound counterintuitive, but the reasoning behind the
decision was sound. The organization was so well organized that all
environmental issues found their way to the group’s doorstep, meaning that
other volunteer groups supposedly active in environmental concerns were taking
a back seat to GEAG. Since their aim was and had been from the start to involve
the community, they believed the best way to get others involved was to take a
step back themselves. Their plan was to become active again when the issues
were large enough that the town would benefit from their background and
extensive experience in successfully fighting battles worthy of the struggle.

Another
Good Fight:

In
the early 1980s, after the town’s shellfish beds had been closed to
recreational shellfishing since 1960, oystermen began coming into Greenwich
Cove, taking oysters out to a “mother ship” and whisking their haul away for
commercial gain. According to Ms. Jinishian, “They sort of cleaned the Cove out
of a lot of oysters.” This practice did not sit well with her. As a result, she
and other concerned citizens, including Dan Barrett, took steps to remediate
the situation. Out of this, the town of Greenwich Shellfish Commission was
formed in 1986.

Photo from Shellfish Commission, Town of Greenwich

After
repeated water sampling conducted in approximately thirty-five sampling
stations over a period of years, the Commission was able to reopen the beds to
the public in the fall of 1991. Since that time the commission has been active
in overseeing the status of the beds, replenishing them as necessary after
population-threatening disease and after catastrophic storms, such as Hurricane
Sandy.

At
the time of her interview on the Shellfish Commission in 2006, Ms. Jinishian
had retired but promised to stay active in an advisory capacity, and so she
has.

It
is because of the commitment and involvement of community leaders like Lucy
Jinisian, the residents of Greenwich can enjoy a multitude of summer
activities, including visiting the Seaside Environmental Education Center at
Tod’s Point to learn about the shellfish beds of the area. Then, from
mid-October to mid-May, when the beds are open, for a modest fee to purchase a
permit, Greenwich residents can enjoy the pleasures of recreational
shellfishing.

The Greenwich Environmental Action
Group, transcript
with Lucy Man Jinishian, by Marian L. Phillips, July 30, 1975, and, Shellfishing in Greenwich, transcript of
Interview with Lucy Man Jinishian, by Annette Baker Fox, March 21, 2006, are
available through the Greenwich Library, Oral History Project, sponsored by the
Friends of the Greenwich Library. The interviews are located on the first floor
of the library and through the project office on the lower level.